Best first vegetables for babies
Vegetables are a great way to broaden your baby’s palate beyond the sweet stuff. From around 6 months, cooked-soft veg is easy to mash or hand over as a finger food. Here are the easy, reliable ones to start with.
How to prepare them
The rule is simple: cook until soft enough to squish between your fingers. Steam or roast (steaming keeps more nutrients), then purée for spoon-feeding or cut into soft finger-length pieces for baby-led weaning. Skip the salt, and pair veg with an iron-rich food to round out the meal.
More reading
See the best first foods, browse every food one at a time, or read why iron matters at 6 months.
Frequently asked questions
What vegetables can babies eat first?
Soft-cooked vegetables are great starters: sweet potato, carrot, broccoli, potato, zucchini, and peas. Steam or roast until they squish easily, then purée or offer as soft finger foods.
Should I give vegetables before fruit?
Some parents start with vegetables in the hope of building a taste for less-sweet flavors. The evidence that order matters is limited, so what counts most is offering a wide variety early. Do what works for your family.
How do I prepare vegetables for babies?
Cook them until soft (steaming keeps the most nutrients), then purée for spoon-feeding or cut into soft finger-length pieces for baby-led weaning. Skip added salt.
What vegetables should babies avoid?
Avoid raw, hard vegetables (like raw carrot sticks), which are choking hazards. Cook vegetables soft, and cut them to age-appropriate sizes.
Track it in Yummy Yucky
Log first tries, get nudged through the 3-day allergen watch, and keep every bite in one place you can share with your pediatrician.
Start tracking for freeHow we write these: from widely published pediatric guidance (AAP, NIAID 2017 guidelines, the LEAP study), with sources cited on every page. Pending review by a pediatric professional.
This is general information, not medical advice, and has not been individually reviewed for your baby. Always talk to your pediatrician about your baby's diet, introducing allergens, and any reaction. In an emergency, contact emergency services.
Some links in our guides are affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. We only suggest things we'd actually use, and it never changes our guidance.